Monday, January 14, 2008

We read and write about families disassembly , but we can't imagine how or why it happens. I'm talking about Iraqi culture, I don't know if that happens in other cultures or not?

A lot of Iraqis including myself, used to have dinner with our families and talk about what happens to each other's day. When I talked, my family would start laughing, because I have a good sense of humor especially when it comes to my family.

Now I can't do that anymore because I'm displaced from my home and have to face my dark destiny under the hostility of being a refugee. My family is pleased that I am out of Iraq even though I am not happy here. They are just happy to know that I won't face the destiny of my lost uncle who became a victim of sectarian conflict, where he was killed in an awful way and his body has been chucked in the swamp and nobody found his body for eight months. One day his family found the picture of his dead body in a hospital,

It isn't the end of the tragedy, I lost my cousin too, it was at noon when his family were gathering for lunch, his kids, wife, and a guest (his mother), suddenly a knock on the door is heard, the mother says "I will open the door", when she opened it, she saw a militia men, they told her "we want to talk with your son and don't worry it's just one hour of investigation and he will come back to you", she starts crying and begging, even kissed their feet. She's an 80 years old lady. They start kicking her, when her son saw that he could not hold himself and he hurries out shouting "here I'm, do not hurt my mom", they handcuffs him and shovel him in the trunk of their car. One hour later, the family was informed that their householder's body was found dumped in the garbage. These and many other families are being forced to dissemble. They were just forced to the same way I am forced to leave my family, home and life.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

This picture shows my brother-in-law; Riadh who told me about "freedom". He told me that we can't get freedom easily, that it need a lot of time maybe a very long time, he told me about the people of Iraq who were killed every day without any reason. He said that they are the price of the freedom and he assured me that one day this killing will stop.

He is optimistic as you can see in the picture while he vote to what he wanted in the elections in 2005, he appears happy. It's a new thing to the Iraqi people to feel the "democracy".

He sent me a message saying (happy New Year) a day before the New Year.

On January 1st 2008, Riadh was at a funeral ceremony of one of his friends when a suicider with an explosive belt exploded himself in the crowd 15 minutes after Riadh's arrival.

Riadh is not going to see the freedom he told me about. He became the price of that freedom.

I want you all to tell me now, how much is price of freedom?... Who is selling it? Are we obliged to buy it?